Nigeria: No Respite for Patients As Doctors’ Strike Enters Day 10

Ten days after the nationwide strike by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) began, patients across the country continue to suffer as medical services remain paralysed in at least 91 healthcare facilities.

Our correspondents report that patients have been left stranded in several hospitals as the 11,500 resident doctors who make up a significant portion of the country’s 56,000 registered medical practitioners remain on strike.

Resident doctors are medical graduates undergoing specialist training and form the backbone of emergency and routine care in most public hospitals across Nigeria.

NARD President, Dr. Muhammad Suleiman, had reaffirmed in a message to Daily Trust that the strike would continue until all 19 outstanding demands are addressed.

Among the key issues raised by NARD are unpaid arrears, poor working conditions, inadequate staffing, excessive workload, and the lack of essential medical infrastructure, which the doctors say have crippled healthcare delivery nationwide.

NARD had confirmed plans to commence the strike on Saturday, November 1, 2025, after the government failed to meet its 30-day ultimatum.

According to Suleiman, the strike became inevitable after repeated failures by the government to implement agreements reached with the association despite several meetings, appeals and warnings.

Update from states, Abuja

The Accident and Emergency Unit (A&E) of the Kubwa General Hospital is typically known for attending to patients in critical condition, but some patients on Sunday expressed frustration over the lack of medical attention.

One of them, Madam Gift Arume, who rushed her son, Wisdom, to the hospital in a severe condition, said she could not get any help for over two hours.

“I brought him here because his condition became worse, but no doctor has attended to us. I gave him paracetamol just to calm him down since the drugs from the pharmacy were no longer helping,” she told our reporter.

The usually busy hospital appeared unusually quiet, with some patients waiting in vain for medical attention.

Madam Arume said she eventually decided to return home and planned to visit a private hospital the next day, explaining that the one she could afford does not operate on Sundays.

Other visitors who came for treatment were also seen leaving disappointed after reportedly being turned away due to the industrial action.

Although a few health workers were sighted at the emergency unit, they appeared to be attending only to patients in very critical condition.

A visit to the male ward showed only one patient on admission, while activities at the labour ward remained relatively normal, with expectant mothers being attended to and relatives waiting nearby.

Niger

At the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Bida, Niger State, medical services have been scaled down following the ongoing strike by resident doctors across the country.

Although the hospital remains open, consultants and house officers currently on duty are unable to cover all areas of service, resulting in reduced operations.

The Public Relations Officer of the centre, Mr. Kayode Arokoyo, told Daily Trust that only “skeletal services” were being provided.

“Of course, the scale of services is not the same as when the resident doctors were on ground. Consultants and house officers are attending to patients, but they can only take on as much as they can cope with since the resident doctors–who form the majority–are not available,” he said.

Kano

Also, patients seeking medical treatment at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) told our reporter that operations are skeletal with very few consultants attending to patients.

Aisha Ahmad, a Kano resident, said last week she had to leave the hospital for a private one after spending more than three hours without seeing a doctor.

“Despite the fact that AKTH is my NHIS selected facility, I had to leave and go to a private hospital to pay an exorbitant price.”

Another patient, Balarabe Auwal, said the strike had also added a burden to the already overstretched smaller state-owned hospitals being patronized by patients who cannot afford private hospitals.

Auwal said patients had to spend hours before they could be attended to due to the increasing number of patients.

“The challenge is that it is not all ailments that can be treated by these hospitals,” he added.

A hospital staff, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said most of the hospital bed spaces are empty due to the ongoing strike because many patients had decided to go to private hospitals.

“The hospital which could attend to about 200 patients now barely attends to more than 20 patients a day due to the strike. We are therefore appealing to the government to consider the people’s predicament and come to their aid. People are really suffering,” the personnel added.

Benue

In Benue State, patients have continued to express worries over their inability to access medical care in government-owned hospitals.

Our correspondent spoke to some patients who were disappointed that their earlier schedules to meet with their doctors at the Federal Medical Centre Makurdi and the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) could not hold as planned.

Ene Adama, who did not disclose her ailment, said she had an earlier appointment scheduled for last Thursday at the FMC but met her doctor’s absence as a result of the strike.

Similarly, Terlumun Saint, said that for his illness which required regular check-up, he has resorted to herbal medicine pending when his striking doctor at the FMC will resume work.

A patient Kondom Dennis said he was billed for a surgery on his back at the BSUTH since last week but couldn’t proceed due to the strike which has taken its toll on both patients and the facility.

“I’m seriously in pain from a machete cut injury sustained from an invasion of my village in Kwande LGA. I was at the BSUTH before the strike and was expected to be operated on last week.

“I returned ready for the surgery but it could not hold pending when doctors will call off the strike,” he said.

Dennis appealed to the federal government to sort out the doctors’ demands so they can return to work.

Bauchi

Daily Trust reports that medical activities at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBU-TH) in Bauchi have been severely affected by the strike, leaving many patients unattended to.

Patients and their relatives who spoke to Daily Trust expressed frustration over the absence of doctors in the wards.

A patient, Aminu Haruna, said he had not been examined for several days, while another, Amina, who recently underwent surgery, said she had been left in the care of nurses.

A relative, Talatu Ali, also lamented that their patient had not seen a doctor for two days since being referred from the Jos University Teaching Hospital.

When contacted, the Head of Public Relations and Protocol Unit of ATBU-TH, Usman Abdullahi Koli, said the hospital had made internal arrangements with consultants and other medical personnel to attend to critical cases.

Lagos

In Lagos State, nurses are grappling with the responsibility of taking care of a few patients who were admitted before the resident doctors embarked on strike.

During a visit to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Daily Trust observed that the environment was quiet owing to many of the patients who had been discharged.

While the entrance of the premises seemed deserted, a few relatives of some patients inside the medical emergency ward were seen under the shield provided for them.

One of the staff said that the nurses were being supported by student doctors currently doing their house job and consultants.

While these skeletal services are carried out, Daily Trust gathered that the hospital has shut its doors to new admissions.

NARD: FG yet to act on key demands

Meanwhile, the president of NARD, Dr. Muhammad Suleiman, has said that the ongoing negotiations with the federal government over the nationwide strike have yet to yield concrete results.

Speaking in an interview with Daily Trust on Sunday, Dr. Suleiman said discussions are expected to continue on Monday.

He noted that while both sides have discussed the issue of membership certificates, “no concrete action has been taken so far.”

According to him, the government has advised affected members to report to other hospitals, but NARD insists that those terminated in Lokoja should be reinstated, describing the process as “fundamentally flawed.”

Dr. Suleiman also faulted delays in resolving matters related to the Professional Allowance Table, the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), and the unpaid specialist allowance for resident doctors.

He explained that though funds were reportedly released by the government, discrepancies remain in the figures announced, saying, “We were aware that N6 billion was approved to be released, but the government keeps mentioning N11.9 billion, which was never discussed with us.”

When contacted on Sunday, Alaba Balogun, Deputy Director and Head of Information and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, said he would get back to our reporter but had not done so as at the time of filing this report.

By Daily Trust.